Why we love the “Red Zone Channel”

I admit, I’m lucky. This is my 11th year as a subscriber to NFL “Sunday Ticket,” the DirecTV package that gives viewers (for a signifiicant investment) a chance to see all of Sunday afternoon’s NFL action.

My favorite part is what is called the “Red Zone Channel.” An announcer (Andrew Siciliano, a Syracuse grad) sits in the Sunday Ticket studios in Los Angeles and oversees the switching from game to game. It’s the ultimate in Coach Potato laziness. You get all the games, but someone is there to flip the channels for you.

Just to give you a taste of what the Red Zone Channel is all about, here is what went on for a short period of time Sunday:

1:03: Games are just kicking off, so no one’s in the red zone. We’re taken to Redskins-Packers.

1:04: Cut to the Meadowlands, where Thomas Jones runs 36 yards on the Jets’ first place from scrimmage. Back to Green Bay.

1:05: Two games at once: Redskins-Packers on the left, Eagles-Jets on the right.

1:06: With the Jets on the Eagles’ 12-yard line, we’re taken to the Meadowlands.

1:07: After watching Mike Nugent hit a field goal for the Jets — the first points on this NFL Sunday — we go to Jacksonville to see a replay of Kevin Walters’ 46-yard reception against the Jaguars. The Texans are now in the red zone, so we’re kept at that game.

1:08: Cut quickly to Cleveland, where Jason Wright plunges in from 1 yard out to give the Browns a lead against the Dolphins. Back to Jacksonville.

1:10: Time out in Jacksonville. The Red Zone Channel doesn’t do commercials, so we’re taken to Kansas City — with the promise of going back to Jacksonville after the time out — to see that the Chiefs have the ball on the Bengals’ 19.

1:12: Dave Rayner kicks a field goal for the Chiefs.

1:12: Quickly to Green Bay, for one Curtis Porter run.

1:12: On replay, we see the Eagles score on a 75-yard play, Donovan McNabb to Kevin Curtis.

1:13: We’re taken to Green Bay. Not sure what happened in Jacksonville, but if I need to know, I just have to turn to Channel 725 to see it. I prefer to stay with the Red Zone Channel.

1:14: We’re told that the Texans settled for a field goal in Jacksonville

1:14: A messages flashes on my screen: “W. McGahee rush for 11 yards.” This is another caveat of Sunday Ticket. If you program in your fantasy players, you’ll be notified every time one of them gains yards.

1:15: To Chicago, where the Vikings are on the Bears’ 35-yard line after a long Adrian Peterson run.

1:16: Vikings’ drive stalls, so we got to Tampa. The Titans have just crossed into Buccaneers territory.

1:17: Back to Jacksonille, to see a replay of Fred Taylor taking the ball from his own 10-yard line to the Texans’ 14. With the Jaguars in the red zone, the Red Zone Channel keeps us in Jacksonville.

1:18: Two games at once. The Packers are on the Redskins’ 3, and we watch DeShawn Wynn the in for the Green Bay touchdown. The Jaguars-Texas, which had been on the right-hand screen, is returned to full view.

1:19: Time out in Jacksonville.“We’re not the Time Out Channel, we’re the Red Zone Channel,” says Siciliano. We go to Cleveland.

1:19: We see one play, a short run by Jason Wright, then we see a highlight of the Bengals’ 42-yard touchdown, Carson Palmer to T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

1:20: Quickly to the Meadowlands for one play from Eagles-Jets.

1;20: Now to Chicago for Bears-Vikings. Apparently no one is in the red zone, so we see two plays from the Bears in their own territory.

1:21: Time out in Jacksonville is over. We’re taken back there for a 3rd-and-5 from the Texans’ 9. Incomplete pass. John Carney comes out to kick a 27-yard field goal.

1:22: Back to the Meadowlands. Jets have a 3rd-and short at the Eagles’ 34. Thomas Jones rushes for the first down, so we stay there for a minute. (Although I’ve got to say those Jets uniforms look more like those of the old Los Angeles Rams.)

1:24: Punt time for the Jets. We go to Tampa, where a replay shows Albert Hainesworth’s injury.

1:25: We go back to the Meadowlands just in time to see the Jets blow their field goal.

1:25: There was a face-mask penalty in Jacksonville, so Carney had to rekick his field goal from 42 yards. He misses.

1:25: First trip of the day to Baltimore. Just in time to see the Ravens’ Derrick Mason catch a pass and take the ball to the Rams’ 30. They’re not in the red zone, but close enough for the Red Zone Channel to stay with that game.

1:27: We get several plays from Rams-Ravens. The Ravens have a 4th and-1 upcoming from the Rams’ 20. The screen tells us we have an update coming from Redskins-Packers.

1:28: Quickly to Green Bay. A replay of Jason Campbell completing a 28-yard pass to tight end Chris Cooley, taking the ball to the Packers’ 3.

1:29: Back to Baltimore. “The Redskins are in the red zone, and the Bears are in the endzone,” Siciliano says. “We’ll show you that in a minute.” The Ravens, on 4th-and-1, are called for a false start.

1:29: Cut to Chicago, to see a replay of Devin Hester’s 89-yard punt return.

1:29: Back to Baltimore. Matt Stover kicks a field goal for the Ravens.

1:29: On to the Meadowlands, where the Eagles have the ball.

1:30: Quickly to Cleveland, to see live Jay Feely’s field goal put the Dolphins on the board.

1:30: Quickly to Green Bay for a replay of Jason Campbell’s touchdown run.

1:31: Back to the Meadowlands, just in time to see live Reggie Brown take a Donovan McNabb 26-yard pass to the Jets’ 10-yard line.

1:32: Quarter ends at the Meadowlands. We go to Jacksonville to see a replay of Niskayuna’s Andre Davis catching a touchdown pass, but the play is under the review. We see another replay, and then referee Walt Coleman comes on live to tell us that the ball was fumbled before Davis crossed the end zone. The ball went out of bounds, and so the Jaguars got the ball on a touchback.

That was just a half hour’s worth of The Red Zone Channel. (As I’m typing this, I see Tony Gonzalez set NFL history for touchdown catches by a tight end.) There were eight live games going on, and we got a taste of all of them. It will go on like that for another three hours, until all the 1 p.m. games are completed.

It continues for the late games, although it is much less hectic. Today there are only three late-afternoon games. For that, we probably can change the channels ourselves.

Hey, we’ve got to get some exercise.

Pete Dougherty

2 Responses

I will now hold you personally responsible for my moving out of my apartment and into a house where I can get Direct TV and the Red Zone. This was the first time I ever heard about it and it’s the only commercial they ever need to run.
Thanks a lot Pete!

I’d like to tell you there are drawbacks, but other than the price getting a little steep ($229 for the standard package, another $99 for “SuperFan,” which includes all the games in HD and other features), I can’t say anything bad about it.